This application incorporates by reference the contents of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 61/779,956, filed 13 Mar. 2013, the contents of which are published in WO 2014/159696 A1/US Pat. Pub. No. US 2015/0374868.
The incorporated by reference publication discloses a sterilization container with a set of sensors and a processor. The sensors are configured to measure the characteristics of the environment in the antimicrobial barrier container. Signals representative of these measurements are sent to the processor. The processor evaluates these container environmental measurements. Using methods disclosed in the referenced publication, the processor verifies whether or not the instruments were properly sterilized. The processor then causes an indication regarding the sterilization state of the instruments to be output.
By using the above-described container, a medical facility is able to essentially almost immediately after the sterilization process, know whether or not the instruments were properly sterilized. This is more efficient than many sterilization systems which require the instruments to be held in quarantine for periods ranging from 3 to 48 hours in order to obtain the results of tests run to determine the state of sterilizing machine's operating characteristics that affect instrument sterility.
The above-described container includes a battery. The battery supplies the charge required to activate the processor as well as the typically one or more sensors that require electrical power to function. The system of the incorporated by reference publication does not disclose any means to minimize the current draw on the battery. This would lead to having to take the sterilization container out of service on a frequent basis in order to either replace or recharge the battery.
Further, for some sterilization processes it is desirable to determine whether or not the instruments in the container are in a saturated steam environment. A saturated steam environment is one in which the majority of the gas in the chamber is water vapor (steam) with only trace amounts of the gases that normally make up air.
This determination is desirable because many instruments do not have unbroken smooth outer surfaces. An instrument may have one or more bores, notches or slots that have a closed end. These closed ends reduce contact with saturated steam on all surfaces of the instrument. Owing to the closed end nature of these void spaces, air may become trapped in these spaces. Due to the tendency of the air to be trapped in these spaces, it has proven difficult to determine whether or not an instrument is therefore completely surrounded by saturated steam.